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CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS 

OF 

THE HARVARD UNION. 

Adopted May, igoi. 



CONSTITUTION. 

I. Name. 
The name of this society shall be the Harvard Union . 

II. Object. 
Its object shall be to promote comradeship among 
members of Harvard University, by providing at 
Cambridge a suitable Club House for social purposes. 

III. Board of Trustees. 
The legal title to the property of the Harvard 
Union shall be vested in a Board of Trustees, seven 
in number, to be appointed by the President end 
Fellows of Harvard College in the first instance. 
All vacancies in the Board shall be filled by the Board 
of Trustees, subject to confirmation by the President 
and Fellows of Harvard College. 

IV. Officers. 

Section 1. The ofl&cers of the Union shall be a 
President, a Vice-President, a Treasurer and a 
Secretary. 

Sect. 2. The President shall preside at all meet- 
ings and be ex officio a member of all committees. 
No one who has not been a member of the Union for 
one year shall be President. 

SECT. 3. The Vice-President shall discharge the 
duties of the President when the latter is absent, 



2 loJb'UGG 

and shall serve ex officio on the Library Committee. 
Sect. 4. The Treasurer shall be appointed by the 
House Committee, subject to the approval of the 
Board of Trustees, to whose regulations he shall be 
at all times subject, and by whom he may be re- 
moved at any time. He shall keep the accounts of 
the Union, collect the dues of members, be respon- 
sible for the care of property, order current supplies 
and minor repairs, present monthly to the Board of 
Trustees a statement of receipts and expenditures, 
and shall have such further powers and duties as the 
Board shall prescribe. The Treasurer shall be ex 
officio a member of the House Committee, and shall 
have power to engage and discharge the employees 
of the Union. Once a year he shall submit to the 
members of the Union a complete financial state- 
ment. The salary of the Treasurer shall be fixed by 
the Trustees. 

Sect. 5. The Secretary shall keep the records of 
the Union, notify new members of their election, 
give notice when meetings are to be held, and serve, 
ex officio, on the Membership Committee. 

V. Standing Committees. 

Section 1. There shall be three Standing Com- 
mittees, to wit: a House Committee, a Membership 
Committee, and a Library Committee. 

Sect. 2. The House Committee shall be elected 
annually, and shall represent each of the following 
departments: the College, and the Scientific, Grad- 
uate, Law, and Divinity Schools, at the ratio of one 
member for every four hundred students or fraction of 
four hundred. The departments of the University 
situated out of Cambridge shall be jointly represented 



by two members on the Committee. In electing their 
representatives, nominated as hereinafter provided, 
the College and Scientific School shall vote as one for 
the representatives of each; bat each of the other 
Schools shall vote separately for its own representa- 
tives, except that the departments out of Cambridge 
shall vote jointly for their joint representatives, as 
heretofore provided. The House Committee shall 
make all rules for preserving order, and relating to the 
use of the Club House; it may give permission for the 
use on special occasions of any hall or room that may 
not be reserved, but shall have no power to lease any 
part of the premises. The Board of Trustees may 
lease at discretion any part of the building. Five 
members shall constitute a quorum. 

Sect. 3. The Membership Committee shall consist 
of five undergraduate members, at least one of whom 
shall be a member of the Scientific School, and of one 
member of each of the Graduate Departments in 
Cambridge, and of three members from the depart- 
ments outside of Cambridge. The members of this 
committee shall be voted for according to the provi- 
sions of Section 2. The presidents of the three upper 
College classes shall be ex officio members of this 
Committee, provided they are members of the Union. 
Seven members shall constitute a quorum. The 
Membership Committee, in addition to the election 
of members, shall nominate candidates to be voted 
for at the annual election. 

Sect. 4. The Library Committee shall consist of 
seven members of whom three shall be graduates, to 
be elected at large by the Union. It shall appoint a 
librarian approved by the Trustees, who shall keep 
a catalogue of all books added to the library by pur- 



chase or gift, and shall be responsible for their 
preservation in good order. The librarian may re- 
ceive a salary which shall be fixed by the Trustees. 
The Committee shall determine what books are to be 
bought and what journals shall be subscribed for, 
and shall also have control over the pictures, statues, 
trophies and bric-a-brac in the Union. Four mem- 
bers shall constitute a quorum. 

Sect. 5. The standing committees shall organize 
within one week of their election and shall serve un- 
til their successors have been elected. Each com- 
mittee shall fill vacancies in its own membership 
until the next annual election; except that when only 
a minority of the committee remain, vacancies shall 
be filled at a special election by the Union. 

VI. Nominations and Elections. 

Section 1. The Annual Election for President, 
Vice-President, Secretary, and these committees 
shall be held on the first Thursday in April. 

Sect. 2. The Membership Committee shall suggest 
names of two or more candidates for each office and 
each place on the committees to be elected at the 
Annual Election. 

Sect. 3. Nominations shall be made and posted 
two weeks before the date of the election; but a be- 
lated nomination, if supported by the signatures of 
fifty active members, may be inserted in the list up 
to within three days of election day. The election 
shall be conducted by the Australian ballot system, 
the polls being open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on election 
day. The officers in charge of the polls shall be ap- 
pointed by the President of the Union. There shall 
be no voting by proxy. The persons receiving the 



greatest number of votes shall be declared elected. 
In case of a tie, another election for that office shall 
be held within five days. 

VII. Membership. 

Section. 1 Active Members. Any member or past 
member of Harvard University is eligible to active 
membership, upon hi3 making application in writing 
to the Secretary. 

Sect. 2. Associate Members. Officers and past 
members of Harvard University residing within 
twenty- five miles of Cambridge, and students in the 
departments of the University located outside of 
Cambridge, may become associate members, unless 
they wish to vote, in which case they must become 
active members. 

Sect. 3. Non-Resident Members. All members or 
past members of Harvard University residing more 
than twenty- five miles from Cambridge may become 
non-resident members. 

Sect. 4. Associate and Non-Resident Members 
shall enjoy all the privileges of the Union, but they 
Bhall not vote for any officer. 

Sect. 5. Life Members. Past members and all 
officers of Harvard University may become life 
members on payment of fifty dollars; students, on 
payment of seventy- five dollars. 

Sect. 6. Honorary Members. The Union may 
elect not more than ten honorary members, provided 
each candidate for honorary membership has received 
the approval of the Board of Trustees, of the Mem- 
bership Committee, and of two thirds of the active 
members, voting at a special meeting. 

Sect. 7. The names of all candidates for member- 



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ship shall be posted two weeks before their election, 
in order that members may report on them to the 
Membership Committee. A majority of the votes 
cast at a meeting of this committee shall constitute 
an election. 

VIII. Dues. 

Section 1. The annual dues for an active member 
shall not exceed ten dollars, the exact amount to be 
fixed by the House Committee, subject to the ap- 
proval of the Board of Trustees; for an associate 
member, the annual dues shall be five dollars ; for a 
non-resident member, three dollars. 

Sect. 2. Dues are payable in advance, and a newly 
elected member shall pay his dues within ten days of 
the date of his election. 

Sect. 3. No member shall be allowed to incur any 
indebtedness to the Union. 

Sect. 4. The name, with the amount due, of any 
member whose account remains unpaid ten days after 
receiving notice from the Treasurer, shall be posted; 
and a week later he shall be deprived of the use of 
the Union unless his account has been paid : but if 
he fails to pay within three weeks more, he shall 
cease to be a member of the Union. 

Sect. 5. Anyone who has thus ceased to be a 
member for non-payment of his bill may be reinstated 
by the House Committee, with the assent of the 
Treasurer. 

EX. Resignations. 

Section 1. Resignations must be presented in 
writing to the Membership Committee before Octo- 
ber 1, otherwise members shall be liable for the dues 
of the coming year. Without such resignation, a 



member ceasing to be a student shall become an 
associate or non-resident member, according to his 
place of residenc - : -. 

Sect. 2. No resignation shall be accepted from a 
member who has not discharged in full his indebted- 
ness to the Union. 

X. Suspensions and Expulsions. 

Section 1. Any member may be suspended or 
expelled for cause, by a vote of three fourths of all 
the members of the House and Membership commit- 
tees. Before expulsion, the Secretary shall be in- 
structed, by a majority vote of these committees, to 
send the member a copy of the charges preferred 
against him ; and, at the request of this member, 
there shall be a hearing before the House and Mem- 
bership committees in joint session. 

XI. Meetings and Quorum. 

Section 1. The Annual Meeting shall be held the 
first Thursday in April. 

Sect. 2. Special meetings for a specific purpose 
shall be called by the President on the request of the 
House Committee, or at the request in writing of 
fifty active members. 

Sect. 3. Except in cases of urgent need, the an- 
nouncement of each meeting shall be posted on the 
bulletin board, and its object stated, one week in 
advance. 

Sect. 4. For the ordinary transaction of business, 
one hundred active members shall constitute a quo- 
rum. 

XII. Amendments. 

This Constitution may be altered or amended by a 



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majority vote of two hundred members present at two 
successive meetings, such meetings to be held not 
less than one week apart ; notice of the first meeting, 
and its object, being posted ten days in advance ; 
provided, however, that the Board of Trustees shall 
concur in such alteration or amendment. 



BY-LAWS. 

Section 1. Any member may introduce a visi- 
tor who accompanies him to the Union; but persons 
eligible to membership shall not be introduced often- 
er than once a month. 

Sect. 2. Persons not eligible for membership may 
be introduced to the privileges of the Union for a 
period not exceeding two weeks, provided the 
Treasurer, on application of some member, issue a 
card of invitation, signed by a member of the House 
Committee, and the name of the visitor be registered 
in a book. 

Sect. 3. Members shall be be responsible for any 
expense incurred by their guests. 

Sect. 4. No person not a member of the Union 
shall be present at any of its business meetings, un- 
less he be specially invited by the Presiding Officer 
or the House Committee. 

Sect. 5. Only active members shall vote at busi- 
ness meetings and elections. 

Sect. 6. The order of business at the annual 
meeting shall be as follows: — 

1. Reading of Minutes. 

2. Announcement of result of election. 

3. Reports of Standing Committees. 

4. Report of Secretary. 

5. Report of Treasurer. 

6. Report of Special Committees. 

7. Unfinished or referred business. 

8. New business. 

9. Adjournment. 

Sect. 7. There shall be no gambling or betting in 



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the Union. The House Committee shall act immedi- 
ately on any infringement of this By-Law. 

Sect. 8. No member nor visitor shall give money 
or any gratuity to any employee of the Union. 

Sect. 9. Complaints shall be made in writing to 
the House Committee, in a box provided for that 
purpose. 

Sect. 10. The Library Committee shall regulate 
the use of books and periodicals, each member being 
responsible for damage to any book or journal while 
in his possession. 

Sect. 11. No newspapers, magazines, books or 
other articles belonging to the Union shall be re- 
moved from it. 

Sect. 12. The House Committee shall designate one 
or more rooms in which there shall be no smoking. 

Sect. 13. Members shall not send servants on 
errands out of the building. 

Sect. 14. By invitation of a member ladies may be 
introduced into those parts of the Union reserved 
for them. 

Sect. 15. The Union shall be open from 7.30 A. m. 
till 12.30 A. M., on week days, and from 8 A. m. till 
11 P. M. on Sundays. 

Sect. 16. Dogs shall not be allowed in the Union. 

Sect. 17. These by-laws may be altered or repeal- 
ed by a majority vote of the whole House Committee, 
previous notice of the proposed change having been 
given to all members of the committee. 



